Locking mechanism for electrical connectors



Aug- 21, 9 H. H. BURTT ET AL LOCKING MECHANISM FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTORSFiled Aug. 15, 1954 456? 59 Hora tioH. B m. 1% Domz Zd/ZDeTa r,

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- nector parts shown with nism in the released position.

Application August 13, 1954, Serial No.449 749 2 Claims. (Cl."33'9-91)This invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly toa locking mechanism :for releasa'bly securing electrical connectorIparts together. It is an object of the present invention to provide .areleasable locking mechanism-for eleotrical connector terminal partswhich is attached to a connector hood and will permit the connectorparts to have suiiicient lateral relative displacement to maintainelectrical contact between elements but will lock the connector partsagainst longitudinal separation.

Another object of the .present invention is to provide a hoodconstruction for elect'ricalconnector parts withra flexible, releasablelocking attachment which will permit relative lateral shifting oftheconnector elements while maintaining electrical engagement and alsoprevent parting of the connector elements despite continued vibrationofthe parts and axial tension.

. Still another objectof the present invention is 'to pro vide alaterally displaeeable hood construction with a releasable lockingmechanism which will not :restrict lateral relative shifting of thecomponent connector "ele ments but which will prevent separation of theconnector parts.

A furtherobject of the present :invention is to provide a quick releaselocking attachment for'electric'al connectors which will assureconnector engagement and :electrical contact in the locked position.

Anothe'r'objeot of the present inventionis toprovide a spring releasablelocking devicefor electrical connectors which will automatically lockthe component elements in electrical engagement as the connector partsare fitted together.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a springreleasable locking mechanism for maintaining engagement of connectorparts which is of simple construction, inexpensive to manufacture, has aminimum number of parts, easy to assemble upon a connector hood, permitsfloating lateral movement of the connector parts while the parts aremaintained in locked engagement, light in Weight, has simplicity ofdesign, convenient to use and efiicient in operation.

For other objects and a better understanding of the invention, referencemay be had to the following detailed description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of separable connectors made according tothe present invention and shown in both a disengaged position and in anengaged position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical partial sectional view illustrating thereleasable locking mechanism in the locked position, and the interior ofthe connector elements;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged exterior vertical view of the connector hood andinsulating body and the detachable conthe releasable locking mecha-Referring now more in particular to the drawings, there is illustratedin Fig. 1 an electrical connector comprising United States Patent2,760,l 74 Patented Aug. 21,1956

2 broadly a hood member-I0 housing an insulating connector body 11 whichis detachable from a base connector element 12 byoperation of the springreleasable 'loc'le ing mechanism 13 which is positioned at each side :ofthe hood memberlt). The insulating body 11 "contained within the hoodmember 10 includes a plurality of male terminals 14 secured within theinsulating body by conventional means. The inner ends of. the maleterminals have hollow ends 15 for receiving therein the individual Wiresof multi-wire cable 16. Insulating body 11 also has contained thereinpolarizing male and female terminals 17 and 18 which extend axially.through [the body 11. The male terminal 17 has a threaded shank 19 and atapered outer end 20 with .a slot 21 therein adapted to receivea screwdriver for efiecting the connection of the connector part with the hood10. The female connector terminal ,part 18 has a threaded shank 22 andthe outer end is slotted at 23 to receive a screw driverlfor efifectingthe connection of this terminal also with. the hood 'member 10. The hoodmember 10 is formed .of a shell member .24 and clamping cable parts '25and .26 which engage the end of the hood through clamp projections 26and 27 which pass through apertures 28, which apertures are indiagonally opposite-corners in the end of the hood for receiving theprojections 26* 211111.27, The projections pon extending through theopenings 28 of the closed end of the hood are bent over as indicated inFig. 2. The clamp parts 25 and 26 are secured together about a cable 29"by screws -30 and 31. Anopening 32 is provided in the end of the shellmember .24 for the purpose of receiving the cable 16. i

The ends 33 of the hood member 24 are struck out and bent under-toreceive the insulating block 11. The sides of \the hood .member willthus extend partially over the sides of the insulating member 11, notonly to retain theinsulating block in position within to guide thesame-during-any'lateral shifting movemenb'of the connector parts. Therespectiveendsof :theihood 221 are thusprovided with parallel :slits 34whereby to pmvide a 'flexible tongue member 37 with :a turnedain "end 38having a threaded-opening39 therein to'rreceiv the threaded shanks -ofthe terminal members 17 and 1'8. Accordingly, the tonghemembers maybesprungrlateralty affording lateral displacement and alignment of the.insulating body 11 within the shell member 24 land "with a baseconnector rpart 40.

The base connector part 40, similar in construction to the insulating:body 11, is provided with female terminals 41 which will receive themale terminals 15 therein upon engagement of the connector parts. In 2addition to the female terminals 41, the base connector carriespolarizing female and male terminals 42 and 43,

respectively, which will be in cooperative sliding engageits lockingposition.

38 and 39 of the opposed hood the hood :but also.

:a :pluralityof slit sidewalls through hole 55 provided on the innerportion of each lug. The projecting portion 56 of each lug 54 is bentdownwardly and passed through the aperture 51 in each strip 50 prior toassembling the components in the hood member 10. The inward end of thebent portion 56 will engage with the free end of the tongue 53 toprovide the requisite resilience to the strip 50' to bias same inwardlyas well as to permit lateral shifting of the connector parts when inoperative engagement relative to the shell member 24.

Locking lugs 57, each having a connector attaching hole 58 therein, aresecurely retained against the end of the base connector part 40 by thefastening bolts 48 positioned on the threaded shanks 44 and 45 of therespective polarizing terminal posts. The locking lugs 57 are bentaround the base connector corner and made to extend upwardly and projectoutwardly at 59 to become engaged within the locking aperture 52 locatedadjacent the lower end of the strip 50. It should be apparent that theinsulating bodies carry the parts of the locking mechanism free of thehood and that the hood need not be a part of the assembly.

In operation, the base connector 40 may be anchored to a wall or panelor may be made freely movable at the end of an electrical cable and thehooded assembly will be made to cooperatively engage with the baseconnector 40. As the'insulating body 11 having terminals 17 and 18, isaligned with base connector polarizing terminals 42 and 43, theconductor terminals and 41 will be engaged as the connector parts areslidably moved toward one another. Upon forcing the hood 10 toward thebottom position against the base connector 40, the arcuate spring latchstrip 50 will be pivoted outwardly on the lug 56 initially uponcontacting the projection 58 on the locking lug 56.

Upon reaching the bottoming position, when the body 11 contacts the topof the base connector 40, the projection 59 enters the aperture 52 toautomatically lock the parts in operative engagement, as clearly shownin Fig.

2. In order to separate the component parts from eachother, merelydepress the release lever thumb and finger grip portion 60 of the stripto disengage the locking aperture 52 from the projection 58 and the twocomponent parts may be pulled apart for separation.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shallbe understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector assembly comprising a first connector part, ahood member open at one end to receive said connector part therein, saidhood member having opposing sides cut away from its open end to permitthe relative shifting movement of the connector part relative theretoand providing side extensions to guide the connector part during anylateral shifting movement thereof, each of said ends being slit andproviding a tongue member to be flexed inwardly and outwardly of thehood member, said tongue member being adapted to receive fastening meanson the connector part, said hood member having an opening removed fromits closed end for receiving a cable therein, a base connector part forcooperative engagement with said first connector part, and springreleasable locking means for retaining the base connector part adjacentthe first connector part and movable laterally on said tongue member,said spring releasable locking means comprising an arcurate latch memberhaving spaced apertures and a centrally disposed projecting springmember, said latch member being pivotally connected to the tongue memberof said hood member through one aperture and being free to movelaterally with said tongue member, and a locking lug fixed on said baseconnector to cooperatively engage with another aperture in said latchmember.

2. In combination, insulating separable connector parts having aplurality of inter-engageable connector terminals therein, a hood memberopen at one end for receiving one of said connector parts and having apair of opposing walls slit longitudinally and a pair of guide walls,said slit walls being sufficiently flexible to permit lateral connectormovement, said connector being guided in lateral movement by said guidewalls, releasable locking means pivotally connected to said opposingslit walls and normally urging one of said means inwardly, locking lugsprojecting from the other connector part for locking engagement with theinwardly extending end of said locking means to prevent separation ofthe connector parts, said locking means comprising opposing flat arcuatestrip members each of which having spaced apertures therein and aresilient knockout tongue portion lying between the apertures, stripretaining lugs mounted on the ends of said hood slit walls to pivotallysupport the strip members through one of their apertures and to engagewith the end of the knockout tongue portion to normally urge one end ofthe strip member inwardly toward its locking position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,835,251 Wetstein Dec. 8, 1931 2,659,872 Gilbert Nov. 17, 1953 FOREIGNPATENTS 713,908 Germany Nov. 18, 1941

